Doc welcomes Lions At The Gate guitarist, Ahrue Luster, to the show, and they. talk about how he moved around a lot growing up, moving to the Bay Area with thrash band, The Horde Of Torment, how he got the audition for Machine Head, what the experience of making The Burning Red with producer Ross Robinson was like, why he left Machine Head and ended up in Ill Nino so quickly, the challenges of learning the Latin guitar style, what the creative process with Ill Nino was like, how leaving the band...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 193
Doc welcomes Periphery guitarist, Misha Mansoor, to the show, and they talk about how Misha manages his busy schedule, what the band dynamics are like within Periphery in terms of splitting revenue and sharing responsibility, why he treats Periphery like a passion project, the evolution of how bands tour and survive, his influence on modern-day djent as well as self-sufficient content creators, and the two share their thoughts on the current political climate. This episode features the songs "Go...
Feb 03, 2022•2 hr 41 min•Ep. 192
Doc welcomes, Willie Gee, professional guitar tech for bands like Kind Diamond and formerly Megadeth, to the show, and they talk about how Willie discovered rock and metal growing up as a black kid in Indiana, becoming infatuated with the guitar, how he ended up working as a guitar tech for King Diamond, what he thinks makes someone a good roadie, his time filling on bass guitar for God Forbid, his thoughts on why real guitar amps and cabs are better live than digital, his infamous reputation as...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 191
Doc welcomes Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment guitarist, John Petrucci, to the show and they talk about the key to Dream Theater's creative consistency throughout their career, their personal chemistry as a band, how he feels about their relationship with the progressive metal label and subculture, how having a hit song on MTV gave them a leg up in the 90s, keeping up as a musician with all of the advances in technical playing and technology, and what inspired his keen business mindse...
Jan 13, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 190
Doc welcomes former Five Five Death Punch drummer and current Psycho Synner frontman, Jeremy Spencer, to the show, and they talk about Doc and Jeremy's time touring together with Five Finger Death Punch, why he ultimately decided to leave the band, how FFDP built their career to such great heights through the years, Jeremy dealing with debilitating back issues, why he decided to become a vocalist/frontman for his new band Pyscho Synner, where the inspiration developed to go in a more theatrical ...
Jan 06, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 189
Doc welcomes Armored Saint vocalist, John Bush, to the show, and they talk about Armored Saint's new album, Symbol of Salvation Live, what the early days were like for the band, why they struggled to breakthrough on a bigger scale, how he has balanced making a living outside of music for his whole career, how he discovered his approach to his unique vocal style, his feelings on the creative output in his time with Anthrax, why Anthrax tended to lean towards less thrashy material during his tenur...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 188
Doc welcomes Eyal Levi (Daath, URM Academy) and John Browne (Monuments) for a podswap with The Riffhard Podcast, and they talk about dealing with adversity and humility, figuring out when is the best time to move on from a bad situation, applying creative pursuits to things other than music, what inspired Eyal to lose weight, the Bad Wolves singer search, Monuments next chapter without Olly Steele, and what keeps Doc interested in The Ex-Man podcast. This episode features the songs "Aphelion" by...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 187
Doc welcomes new Bad Wolves vocals Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz back to the show for the 2nd time to talk about how he's spent the last few years focusing on his career as a producer and songwriter, learning from great producers like Adam D and Zeuss, how he learned to sing and develop his voice over the years, his enthusiasm on the audition process to become the singer of Bad Wolves, what gives him his quiet sense of self-confidence, the whirlwind of getting the Bad Wolves job and immediately heading...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 186
Doc welcomes Oceano vocalist, Adam Warren, to the show and they talk about how he discovered and worked on his ability to do extreme vocals, being really influenced by the metalcore scene of the mid-00s, what inspired him and the rest of Oceano to go down such an extreme musical path, signing to Earache Records, how the band survived throughout the years, embracing the Deathcore tag, branching out into other mediums like Twitch and Youtube as a gamer, and experimenting with different vocal and m...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 185
Doc welcomes artist manager Mike Mowery (Ice Nine Kills), entertainment lawyer Eric German (Bad Wolves, Asking Alexandria), and jack-of-all-trades Ryan J. Downey (artist manager, Speak N’ Destroy Podcast, Stream N’ Destroy Newsletter), to the show and they all have a comprehensive discussion about how to analyze streaming numbers alongside traditional album sales which factor into open week chart positions, and how we measure what "success" or lack thereof in today's heavy music industry. This e...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 184
Doc welcomes Ice Nine Kills lead guitarist, Dan Sugarman, to the show and they talk about Dan's successful work as a content creator, how he learned such a high level of guitar playing, putting his all into tech-death band, Fallen Figure, and eventually giving up the band to join As Blood Runs Black, why his mother's health problems led to him leaving the band, what prompted him to start a career as a solo instrumental artist, finding big success with Ice Nine Kills, how Spencer from I9K influen...
Nov 17, 2021•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 183
Doc goes solo on this episode talking about why he took last week off, being super busy with the Bad Wolves album release, rehearsing like mad for an upcoming gig with The Wedding Band, understanding the context of 1st-week record sales in a streaming world, the tragedy at Travis Scott's Astroworld Fest, Marilyn Manson maybe going Christian with Kanye West, and the current state of Cancel Culture. This episode features the song "No Innocence" by Repentance. Follow Doc on Instagram and Twitter @D...
Nov 10, 2021•45 min•Ep. 182
Doc welcomes The Agonist vocalist, Vicky Psarakis, to the show and they talk about Vicky getting stereotypical questions from the press for being a woman in metal, dealing with elitism in the scene, what inspired her to become a singer and eventually develop extreme vocals, how she uses her vocals to emote through the music, her early days in The Agonist learning the ropes of being in a professional band, how she has grown with the band creatively through years, and how she has branched out into...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 181
Doc welcomes Alicia Taylor, to the show. Alicia is a dancer and founder/director of Cherry Bombs, a female-led rock n roll dance show that mixes cabaret, pyrotechnics, and pure spectacle. They talk about what she thinks Cherry Bombs actually is, her background as a cheerleader for the NFL team, Atlanta Falcons, what inspired her to start Cherry Bombs, what the response has been like with audiences considering it's something that is so different, how she puts her group together and develops chemi...
Oct 21, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 180
Doc welcomes film director, David Yarovesky aka Yarvo, to the show and they talk about David making a name for himself as music video director for bands like Korn, how he got his first break doing a fundraiser party that attracted supporters like Wes Craven, Matt Parker, and Trey Stone, the litany of difficulties and challenges that go along with not only becoming a working filmmaker but keeping true to your artistic vision, how dedicating himself to the technical acumen making films helped him ...
Oct 13, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 179
Doc welcomes Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist, Mark Tremonti, to the show and they talk about working on his new solo album, the secret to his very organized writing process, his thoughts on Creed's legacy, dealing with the critical backlash of being in such a big band, how starting Alter Bridge was a chance to do something totally different from Creed, how he developed his guitar playing to such a high level, how Alter Bridge's success in Europe saved their career, and what gave him the confide...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 178
Doc welcomes Exodus guitarist, Gary Holt, to the show and they talk about the challenges of navigating a divisive social media landscape, recording the new Exodus album with mutual friend and colleague, Steve Lagudi, the secret to the "Gary Holt guitar sound", how he adjusted his playing and sound in his time playing with Slayer, how playing with Slayer changed his life and his legacy, how injuries have hindered his playing in recent years, how the pandemic led to Gary getting sober, the 90s Bla...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 177
Doc welcomes Spirit Adrift guitarist and vocalist, Nate Garrett, to the show, and they talk about getting out there and seeing live music again, how he started Spirit Adrift originally as a one-man band, getting his drum chops up to snuff to record the first album, his time with the band Gatecreeper, why he quit drinking and chose a sober life, what his ambitions are with Spirit Adrift as far as appealing to a broader audience, their philosophy on album production and working with Zeuss, and Doc...
Sep 22, 2021•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 176
Doc welcomes guitarist, Marc Rizzo, to the show for the second time, and they talk about Marc's recent exit from Soulfly after 18 years, the online drama and back and forth between him and the Soulfly camp, the difficulty he experienced during the pandemic, the ethics of how bands should regard hired members, his open schedule allowing him to relaunch his career as a solo artist, starting his new band, Hail The Horns, with Tony Campos (Static-X), and how he has evolved with technology using medi...
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 175
Doc welcomes producer, songwriter, and singer/guitarist for the band Ra, Sahaj Ticotin, back to the show for the 2nd time, and they talk about Sahaj's move to Fort Wayne, Indiana, what he didn't like about LA, his tendency to over-schedule himself, how he came to do lead vocals for the 2nd Meytal album, getting comfortable with touring again on the Meytal tour, how that inspired him to revive his original band, Ra, what his creative process is like with his very busy schedule producing and writi...
Sep 09, 2021•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 174
Doc welcomes Periphery drummer and co-founder of GetGood Drums, Matt Halpern, to the show and they talk about Periphery's approach to writing and recording a new album during the pandemic, the secret to the band's chemistry, how he balances his naturalistic drumming style with the more computerized modern technology of digital drum programs, what inspired him to start the music education company, Bandhappy, and become an entrepreneur, why he focuses so much of his life on health, wellness, and b...
Sep 01, 2021•2 hr 57 min•Ep. 173
Doc welcomes Chad Johnson, co-founder of Furnace Fest, Takehold Records and former A&R of Tooth & Nail Records, to the show, and they talk about the possibility of nostalgia inspiring the revival of Furnace Fest, the challenge of having to reschedule the fest multiple times due to Covid-19, the influence of his Christian background and the Christian hardcore scene on the culture of the festival, how Furnace Fest has learned from the early days and famous failures like Fyre Fest and Woods...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 172
Doc welcomes heavy music producer, Zeuss, to the show and they talk about Zeuss coming up in his early days in Western Massachusetts as a guitar player who eventually taught himself to record bands, how he met the guys in Shadows Fall, what it was like working on and developing the music for Determination with God Forbid, why he thinks the album and process of making the album were special, his influence on Doc's guitar playing, how he evolved as a producer as the record industry changed, his ro...
Aug 18, 2021•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 172
Doc welcomes Static-X, Fear Factory, and Asesino bassist, Tony Campos, to the show, and they talk about Tony's early years in LA playing with death metal band, Dominion, how he met the Wayne and started Static-X, how they experimented with different styles before finding their sound, what achieving success so quickly with the band was like, touring with Slayer and Pantera, why the band eventually broke up, how he ended up getting so many gigs playing with bands like Soulfly, Prong, Possessed, an...
Aug 11, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 170
Doc welcomes David Sanchez, vocalist/guitarist of Havok and host of the "Riffs or Die" podcast, to the show as they do a podswap episode where this conversation will be featured on both "Riffs or Die" and "The Ex-Man". They talk about Havok releasing their most recent album, V, during the pandemic, their philosophies on guitar, and debate many issues from free speech to the modern media to critical race theory, and what inspired David to start Havok in the tradition of classic thrash metal. This...
Jul 27, 2021•2 hr 28 min•Ep. 169
Doc welcomes former Monuments guitarist, Olly Steele, to the show and they talk about dealing with life in the pandemic, how he discovered metal through metalcore and the NWOAHM, what it was like as a black kid in the UK who was into metal, how he joined Monuments, his thoughts on the gear nerd culture of Djent, his philosophy on guitar and music, how the band God Forbid influenced him, and why he decided to quit Monuments. This episode features the songs "The Mantle" by Leveler and "Try" by Oll...
Jul 20, 2021•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 168
Doc welcomes Twisted Sister frontman, Dee Snider, to the show and they talk about Twisted Sister's early days as a blue-collar cover band on Long Island, how toiling as a bar band shaped his work ethic as a performer, the tension between Dee and Jay Jay French, what it felt like to finally achieve success, why he went broke during the 90s, how adversity led to him pursuing multiple careers in radio, acting, and writing, the legacy of his testimony in Congress speaking against The PMRC and censor...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 167
Doc welcomes former God Forbid guitarist, Matt Wicklund, to the show and they talk about Matt's move to Sofia, Bulgaria, how he got involved in the metal scene as a teenager in Seattle, his time playing with metalcore/thrash band, Himsa, how a tumultuous marriage brought him to Los Angeles, how he ended up joining God Forbid, what the creative process was like of working on the Equilibrium album together, how he dealt with the breakup of the band, the difficulties of starting a brand new band, G...
Jul 07, 2021•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 166
Doc welcomes artist manager, Justin Arcangel, to the show and they talk about Doc's experience with Bad Wolves taking off, the current state of the heavy music scene, Justin getting into the business as a lawyer, how he discovered Trivium, how they dealt with early success, working with bands that didn't make it like Seemless and Sanctity, why he joined up with 5B Management who works with Slipknot, what his philosophy on building artists careers is, and his latest discovery, Unto Others. This e...
Jun 29, 2021•2 hr 29 min•Ep. 165
Doc welcomes former Judas Priest guitarist, K.K. Downing, to the show and they talk about K.K. being inspired by American blues artists as a young man in Birmingham, UK, how Jimi Hendrex laid the foundation for hard rock and metal, how his writing process has evolved over the years, why he is still just as much a fan of metal and rock as he is a creator and performer, what motivated him to start KK's Priest, his relationship with Tim "Ripper" Owens through the years, and he tells the story of wh...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 164
